John Blanke - Kings Trumpeter

The first mention of a black person in Royal records is believed to have been in 1507.

John Blanke is listed as a black trumpeter to Kings Henry Vll and Vlll.

He is depicted on an embroidery of the 1511 Westminster Tournament, held to celebrate a royal birth. Records show he was paid 8 shillings a day by Henry Vll.

Blanke, meaning white, is not believed to have been his real name, but given to him as a joke by the royal court...as a result, his exact origins aren't known, but he may have come from Africa or the Iberian Peninsula.

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